Comprehensive Plan

Updated: 12/5/2018

The plan’s public engagement process has been in full swing since late October, with staff and resident volunteers attending events around town to spread the word about the plan and solicit feedback on the town’s planning principles. Please visit www.WhatsNextDavidson.com to learn more and - most importantly - to take the survey by December 14!

The initial engagement period will wind down in mid-December, but the emphasis on dedicated public engagement will continue with research and preparation for community-wide meetings to be held in the Winter/Spring 2019. Please mark your calendarfor January 17, 2019 for our first community meeting – “Conversation on What’s Next” – to discuss the results of the initial public engagement period and receive an update on the town’s current state through the Community Snapshot report.

Comprehensive Plan/Process

The comprehensive plan is the leading policy document and tool to help communities create a vision and guiding principles for decision-making for their town. The Davidson Board of Commissioners identified the comprehensive plan as a priority in their 2018 Strategic Plan. This plan is to be undertaken beginning in the of Fall 2018 with anticipated completion in Winter 2019-2020.

With the support of elected leadership, the process will be guided by a commitment to public engagement and innovation, grounded inthe town’s core values emphasizing its traditional character, village-based identity and sense of community, and commitment to achieving a high quality of life for all residents. A full range of stakeholders encompassing the town’s citizens, advisory boards, staff, and community stakeholders such as Davidson College, local schools, non-profits, businesses, neighborhood representatives, and religious institutions will contribute to this effort.

Town Overview

Davidson is a town of approximately 13,000 residents and home to Davidson College, one of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges. The town is located 20 miles north of uptown Charlotte along Interstate 77, bordered on the west by Lake Norman and on the east by rural farms and residential areas. Good schools, historic architecture, a thriving downtown, and the academic setting have resulted in increased development pressures both locally and regionally. The Town of Davidson has made a commitment to addressing development pressures through thoughtful design and the implementation of traditional town planning principles – and has been recognized both statewide and nationally for its planning efforts.

Documents

Comprehensive Plan Request for Proposals (RFP): The Town of Davidson Comprehensive Plan RFP was assembled by citizens, staff, and elected officials to solicit assistance with our comprehensive planning process. The RFP is a tool used by local governments to recruit contractors with the appropriate/desired skills to assist with a defined project scope. For further information see the Frequently Asked Questions tab.

Response: The comprehensive plan is the leading policy document and tool to help communities create a vision and guiding principles for decision-making for their town. This consolidated set of policies covers a range of topics including: Land use; transportation; economic development; demographics; housing; health; environment; and, others.

2. PURPOSE: What is the purpose of the comprehensive plan?

Response: The comprehensive plan’s purpose is to directly inform decisions that we make as a community. It does so by helping us to understand our historical context; identify current or anticipated issues; evaluate options for how to best proceed; and, establish a set of policies to accomplish our aims. Our existing comprehensive plan is available on the "Documents" tab of the comprehensive plan webpage.

3. TIMING: Why are we undertaking a comprehensive plan now?

Response: The board of commissioners identified the comprehensive plan as a priority in their 2018-2019 Strategic Plan. Additionally, our last comprehensive plan was completed in 2010 – most communities update or create a new plan every five to ten years. This is especially true for communities in high-growth areas like the Charlotte metropolitan region.

4. INVOLVEMENT: Who’s involved in making the comprehensive plan?

Response: Everyone! First and foremost, it’s a community-centered process. The comprehensive plan process entails an extended community conversation that intentionally engages all stakeholders – residents/citizens, neighborhoods, businesses, the college, town government, non-profits, and institutions. To assist with public engagement, visioning, and plan composition, an experienced team of public engagement practitioners was selected by a commissioner-appointed committee of citizens, staff, and elected officials. Led by Clarion Associates and Planning Next, the planning process will feature dedicated public engagement beginning in the Fall of 2018. A variety of events, tools, and meeting formats will encourage community members to provide insight into our community via in-person meetings/workshops, email, and online as well as hard-copy surveys. For a general outline of the process, please see the Timeline tab. The Plan Advisory Group and Publicity & Outreach Committees have now been filled to help us guide this process.

5. SCHEDULE: When will this process begin?

Response: In May the board of commissioners appointed a group of citizens, staff, and elected officials to draft and distribute a Request for Proposals, which was released May 25, 2018. Over the summer proposals were reviewed, interviews conducted, and a consultant recommended by this group. After reviewing their qualifications and meeting with the recommended firm at their August 28 meeting, the Davidson Board of Commissioners directed staff to enter into a contract with Clarion Associates of Chapel Hill, NC. Public engagement will begin in the Fall of 2018. For more information on the schedule, see the "Timeline" tab on the comprehensive plan web page; or, see Section 3.4 Work Scope of the RFP (located on the Documents tab of the comprehensive plan webpage).

6. REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP): What is an RFP?

Response: RFPs are tools used by local governments to recruit contractors with the appropriate/desired skills to assist with a defined project scope. They outline the reasons for the project, the envisioned project scope and schedule, as well as submission requirements and selection criteria. In municipal planning and development projects, they are often used to identify and incorporate targeted skill sets needed to execute a project or manage a process. This includes experience such as real estate market analysis, site design, architectural renderings, and facilitating/integrating public input into plans.

On August 28 the board of commissioners directed staff to enter into a contract agreement with Clarion Associates of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to assist in facilitating the comprehensive plan process. The selection came after months of work by the comprehensive plan’s RFP Committee, which drafted the Request for Proposals (RFP), reviewed consultant responses, and interviewed firms before making a recommendation to the board of commissioners.